1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of outdoor cooking equipment. More specifically the present invention relates to a barbecue grill apparatus including a housing having bottom and side walls and containing one, and preferably two food supporting grid sections rotatably mounted one above the other on an upright central grill support member, and a fuel supporting grid encircling the support member below the food supporting grid sections and spaced above the housing bottom wall. One food supporting grid section is rotatable underneath another such grid section to provide the user with access to the fuel supporting grid for placement and retrieval of fuel items. The rotatability of the grid sections also permits indirect cooking by concentrating the fuel on one region of the fuel supporting grid and by rotating the grid section supporting the food items to a position within the housing opposite the concentrated fuel. A drip pan can be placed under the grill section supporting the food items. Intermittent cooking can also be achieved by periodically rotating the grid sections over and away from the concentrated fuel. The free-spinning grill virtually eliminates uneven cooking to safely reduce harmful toxins released with overcooked meat and controls flare-ups while cooking, increases fuel efficiency.
A housing lid having a central tubular fitting is mounted onto the grill support member and the support member is elevatable within the tubular axle wall to selected levels to provide varying degrees of lateral venting during cooking. The housing lid is also lowerable to a closing position in which the lid makes sufficient sealing contact with the housing side wall to obstruct the flow of oxygen into the housing and thereby extinguish the fuel fire.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have long been outdoor grills for cooking various food items to produce the widely appreciate, fresh barbecue taste. The present applicant has contributed to this art with the disclosures in following patents.
Ceravolo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,163, issued on Oct. 10, 1995, teaches a juice and gravy drippings collector system for barbecue grills. A grill housing is provided in which an inclined surface or separate chamber within the housing collects gravy and juices. The grill apparatus includes a free-spinning half grid for enhancing even cooking. Despite its benefits, a problem with this grill design is that only a half-grid region is provided for supporting food during cooking, limiting productivity. Other problems are that no provision is made for limited venting of the interior of the housing and no provision is made for safely extinguishing the fuel fire.
Ceravolo, U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,821, issued on Mar. 31, 1992, discloses a multi-chambered barbecue grill. This grill apparatus includes a main chamber, a cooking grill located in the main chamber, a fire source located in the main chamber below the cooking grill, and an ash chamber integral with or attached to the main chamber below the fire source for catching ashes. Also included is a reversible top chamber located above the main chamber, which is adapted for receiving the cooking grill in its reversed position. A problem with this design is that access to the lower, fuel supporting grid is not as convenient as it might be.
Ceravolo, U.S. Pat. No. 4,932,390, issued on Jun. 12, 1990, reveals an adjustable barbecue grill. This grill apparatus includes a food-support grid that is adjustable both vertically and rotatively on a vertical threaded rod. The vertical adjustment determines the spacing of the food being cooked above the other heat source. The rotative adjustment enables the food to be positioned to one side of the heat source to provide a keep-warm mode for already cooked food and a thawing mode for food yet to be cooked. The problems of the design described immediately above are generally again presented.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide a cooking grill apparatus which provides the user with access to fuel items without removal of the food supporting grid.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which permits indirect cooking for defrosting and reheating and permits intermittent heating to eliminate uneven cooking to safely reduce harmful toxins released with overcooked meat and which controls flare-ups while cooking.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which permits selection and placement of the specific quantity of fuel needed for cooking a given amount of food.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which permits adjustment of the grill housing lid height to selected levels to provide varying degrees of lateral venting during cooking, and to a closed level in which the lid makes sufficient sealing contact with housing to obstruct the flow of oxygen into the housing and thereby extinguish the fuel fire, safely preventing sparks from falling out of the housing and starting a house or forest fire.
It is finally an object of the present invention to provide such an apparatus which increases fuel efficiency, is sturdy, inexpensive to manufacture, safe and reliable.